Track-layer&#39;s instrument.



No. 688,826. Patented Dec. [7, mm. L. B. CLARK.

TRACK LAYEBS INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1900.)

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No. 688,826. Patented Dec. l7, |90l.

L. B. CLARK.

I'BACK LAYER'S INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1900.

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LEWIS B. CLARK, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

TRACK-LAYERS INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,826, dated December 17, 1901. Application filedApril 12, 1900. Serial No, 12,654. (No model.)

1'0 all 1071 0712 it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS B. CLARK, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Track-Layers Instrument; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore it has been customary for the engineer or track-layer in surfacing or alining his work to lie down on the surface of the road-bed and ascertain by his eye the faults in the surface, alinement, or curves of the rails. By my invention the engineer or track-layer is enabled while in a standing position to better and more readilyascertain the differences in the surface and also by changing its position the curving or alinement of the railway-track on which he is working and at the same time improve the character of the work done thereby.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may more fully understand its construction and the methods of operating the same, Iwill describe the instrument, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the instrument attached to a rail by means of the supporting-legs. Fig. 2 is a front and Fig. 3 an end elevation thereof. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are glass plates, showing various arrangements of the lines upon their plane surfaces. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the instrument attached to a rail by means of the overhanging shelf and retaining-clip. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is an end elevation, and Fig. 10 is a plan view thereof.

In the following description like letters of reference designate like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates a hollow vertical case; B B, hollow horizontal cases projecting laterally from either side thereof and opening into said vertical case; C, apartition extending vertically through the case A and dividing the same into two equal compartments and having a hole a near the top thereof, which serves as a hand-grip for lifting and carrying theinstrument, and D D railway-tracks, which are secured in the usual manner to cross-ties E E.

WVithin each of the cases B B are the mirrors F F, which. lie at an angle of substantially forty-five degrees, restingat either end against the partition C and the bottom of the cases B B and upon which rest the glass squares L L, which areof substantially the same size and shape as the mirrors F F and having lines 6 cthereupon. These lines may be either yertical, horizontal, or curved, and in some cases I prefer to use a hairorthread placed upon the glass rather than to have the glass ruled in the usual way. The glass may beplain and without lines and a hair or thread substituted which can lie on the surface of the glass or be placed in the mouth or openingof the cases B B, as illustrated at fin Fig. 1. v

Projecting laterally from one side of the instrument is a shelf G, which acts as a supporting means for the instrument when used for surfacing, and to prevent the same from being dislodged a spring-clip b is attached thereto and is sprung over the rail D, as shown in Figs. 1 and Vertically movable within guides K K, fixed to one side of the instrument, is an adjustable standard or slide H, which is retained in any of its adjusted positions by means of the thumb-screw c.

Pivotally secured to the under side of the cases B B by the hinges g g are the legs or standards M M, which when opened are used .in alinement thereof, either to the right or left, will be easily and readily detected by means of the lines upon the glass plate L L, and for leveling and curving it is of course apparent that the same principle will apply either by using a horizontal or curved line upon the plates L. v

I am aware that it is old to use a mirrorfor optical purposes, and therefore do not claim such construction broadly, but confine myself to the construction substantiallyhercin shown and described.

' Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters claim as new, and Patent, is f I 1. In a device of the character described, in combination with a case having tWo right-angled compartments therein located with the vertical portions thereof separated by a partition; of mirrors placed in the angles of said compartments against'the said partition, the

backs ofsaid mirrors being toward each other;

glass plates havinga line upon their surfaces and adapted to-lie upon the said mirrors; a

supporting-shelf G;.aspring-clip, b, for supporting and holding the said device in operative' position upon a car-rail; a verticallyadjustable standard H; and pivotally-hinged I legs M M, substantially as set forth.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a case having a vertical portion A, horizontal portions B B, partition,

0, and shelf G having fixedthereto a springclipb; of an adjustable standard H; supporting-legs M M; mirrors F F; glass plates L L;

and means attached to the end of the hori- 

